Against all odds, Nintendo successfully freed millions of gamers from the clutches of couch potato-ism. As if the Wii wasn't evil enough, the 3DS' StreetPass function gives gamers an excuse to actually leave the house completely. In what can only be described as phase two in Nintendo’s diabolical plot for world domination, underground StreetPass groups encouraging face to face meet-ups are sprouting up in major cities around the world. Is this a new face of gaming or the weirdest flash mob ever?
Nintendo 3DS’ StreetPass is a mobile function built into every 3DS emphasizing on-the-go gaming and social connections. The system’s always-on pedometer counts every step taken, and deposits a play coin for every 100 steps travelled to use in the 3DS store.
The meat of the StreetPass experience, however, is the system’s ability to notify and connect with other 3DS systems within a 100 foot radius. StreetPass alerts each gamer that they have encountered another 3DS owner nearby, and transfers data such as their Mii, last game played and a random tidbit of information they chose to share. Once connected, the screen simulates a Mii interaction between the two gamers and even shows the number of encounters with the same person.
Multiple meetings with the same person allow a personalized greeting to be displayed the next time the two gamers cross paths. Such random occurrences, unfortunately, are rare while walking down just any street. Joshua Lynsen – the creator of StreetPass DC – learned this fact all too well after returning to America from his trip to Japan in December 2010.
“I brought my copy of ‘Dragon Quest IX’ and kept the game's Tag Mode active as much as possible,” Lynsen said. “While the function failed to do much for me in America, I got a lot out of it during my time in Tokyo. That experience demonstrated to me the true potential — and fun — of games with Tag Mode functionality.”
Lynsen started the first StreetPass group in February as a grassroots movement for 3DS owners living in the DC metro area. The group holds regular meet-ups for gamers to exchange data and make genuine social connections in the presence of other gamers.
“The effort is intended to foster a certain sense of community among participants while they work together to unlock new content in games like ‘Dragon Quest IX,’ ‘Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition’ and other games for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS systems,” Lynsen said.
Each meeting is held in public so anyone can join in for free. The first event took place on April 9, 2011 at the US Navy Memorial in Wash. DC, with over 20 people attending. In just two months, StreetPass DC has already seen its Facebook fan page spike to a few hundred likes and even attracted attention from gaming publications such as Kotaku and Go Nintendo. The official Nintendo of America Twitter page even tweeted a link to the Lynsen’s StreetPass Network – a website detailing all known StreetPass groups in the world.
Lynsen’s DC group is the seed that inspired dozens of other StreetPass groups to sprout up around the world. In addition to DC, there are now groups in New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, Nashville and Europe and Australia. And as of April 17, there are 209 StreetPass groups from six continents listed on the StreetPass Network. Nintendo is also embracing the StreetPass movement, and for the first time ever allowed displays advertising StreetPass events at the Nintendo World Store in New York City. While the staying power of this phenomenon may be questioned as of now, there is no denying the momentum of the movement Joshua Lynsen pioneered with StreetPass DC.
The next event is scheduled to take place Saturday, April 30 at the U.S. Supreme Court Plaza on 1First St NE, Wash. DC.
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